Saturday, March 6, 2010

Last weekend I attended Southplains Leatherfest and had a lovely weekend of socializing, play and of course education. My favorite classes were presented by the one and only fetish diva Midori. As always, I was inspired and delighted by what she had to offer.

The rope lover in me appreciated her Rope Dance class because it focused on how all you really need is a single piece of rope, your desire, and the floor(preferably padded), to guide your partner in a sensual "dance" of submission. From the most subtle of movements, to the more dramatic dips and turns, one can create a very powerful scene with the careful and deliberate use of rope. To demonstrate how important it is to tune in to and be receptive to your partner, she had a couple volunteer to both wear blindfolds while performing a dance. They simply had to really focus all of their attention on each other in order for it to work. In my own experience, I can say that when a person who is receiving my rope cannot focus or is bored or easily distracted I do not get much enjoyment from it. Happily, this has not happened very often.

The next class that Midori taught was all about how women may access their feminine power. Through acknowledging powerful women acrchetypes in history and pop culture, then determining the attributes these female power figures embody, one can recognize that these attributes are the very ones that we each possess. The roomful of people in attendance came up with dozens of names, both real and fictional. The consensual world of bdsm allows us to play the roles that we have been drawn to since childhood in a safe way and with permission. Although I am sure there are many more serious real women leaders who have influenced my feminine consciousness, for the purposes of fun and within the context of a sexy SM weekend, I chose three women, to add to my list. Mae West, Scarlett O'Hara and Mrs. Peel.

I have always been fascinated by Mae West. She seemed to possess the secret knowledge that exists in the erotic minds of men. She knew their secrets and was not scared of them. She was only mildly amused. All she had to do was look at them a certain way and they would succumb instantly to her charms. She lived into her eighties surrounded by her cherished "muscle men" who took care of her every need.What little girl wouldn't want to be Scarlett O'Hara?, at least if only for the duration of the picnic at Tara before the troubles began. Surrounded by men all vying for her affection, she held court on the lawn, the queen on her throne. Her exquisite features, tiny corseted waist, flashing eyes, enthralled them all. However, she was completely self centered, fickle, and cruel. A child woman throwing a tantrum.....sounds like fun to me!And then of course, there is the inimitable Mrs. Peel. A steady diet of TV in my early years, no doubt help shaped my female psyche. There was this one woman who was unlike any other portrayed on television at the time. I was intensely attracted to her in a way my eight year old mind could not yet comprehend. I just had to stare at her. I didn't are about the plot of the show, all of that boring espionage stuff. All I was interested in was watching her mannerisms, seeing how show fought and solved problems, how she carried herself and was respected. Oh and she had great outfits.

So, I am grateful to Midori for her class on Female Dominance and I am grateful to strong women everywhere for inspiring me to embrace my female power.